NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS EDITION
2
T
he University of Johannesburg acquired The Thinker in April 2019 from Dr Essop Pahad. Over the last decade, The Thinker has gained a reputation as a journal that explores Pan-African issues across fields and times. Ronit Frenkel, as the incoming editor, plans on maintaining the pan-African scope of the journal while increasing its coverage into fields such as books, art, literature and popular cultures.The Thinker is a ‘hybrid’ journal, publishing both journalistic pieces with more academic articles and contributors can now opt to have their submissions peer reviewed. We welcome Africa-centred articles from diverse perspectives, in order to enrich both knowledge of the continent and of issues impacting the continent.
- All contributing analysts write in their personal capacity
T H E T H I N K E R
Prof Ronit Frenkel
Aigbavboa, Clinton.
Clinton Aigbavboa is a Professor at the Department of Construction Management and Quantity Surveying, University of Johannesburg, South Africa. Before joining academia, he was involved as quantity surveyor on several infrastructural projects, both in Nigeria and South Africa. Prof. Aigbavboa was the Vice Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, University of Johannesburg, South Africa. He is currently the Chair of the Centre of Excellence & Sustainable Human Settlement and Construction Research Centre at the University of Johannesburg. He is also the author of seven research books that were published with Springer Nature and CRC Press. He is currently the editor of the Journal of Construction Project Management and Innovation. He is rated by the South Africa National Research Foundation.
Levin, Melissa.
Melissa Levin is a lecturer in the African Studies programme at New College, University of Toronto where she was awarded a PhD in Political Science.
Her publications focus on questions of nationness and belonging, memorialization, democratic practices and institution-building. Until recently, she co-ordinated an Andrew W. Mellon funded collaboration between the Jackman Humanities Institute at the University of Toronto and the Centre for Humanities Research at the University of the Western Cape. She is currently a member of the Confronting Atrocity Project team based at McMaster University.
Nhleko, Zeph.
Zeph Nhleko is the Development Bank of Southern Africa’s (DBSA) Chief Economist. Before this he served as a Deputy Director-General at the national Economic Development Department (now the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition) overseeing economic policy development and coordination, as well as social dialogue. Before that he was a Deputy Director-General at the Province of KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development Tourism and Environmental Affairs responsible for economic planning, sector development and business governance. Mr Nhleko is an economic practitioner who has acquired vast strategic leadership skills and economic policy coordination experience over his many years spent as a senior economist interpreting economic development and macroeconomic policy outcomes at the South African Reserve Bank.
Ratshitanga, Tshilidzi.
Tshilidzi Ratshitanga is a Mitchell Fellow and Ph.D. graduate of the School of Public Policy and Administration, University of Delaware, United States of America. He holds an MPHIL and Bachelor degrees from the University of Port Elizabeth, (currently Nelson Mandela University) and RAU (now University of Johannesburg) respectively. Dr.
Ratshitanga is also Chairman and Founder the New Cities New Economies Institute, the Global Consortium for Africa’s Economic Development and the Global Black People’s Convention (GBPC).
CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS EDITION
Dr. Ratshitanga previously worked as a senior manager at the South African government’s Government Communications and Information System (GCIS) and subsequently joined the private sector, where he got involved with companies in the property development and mining sectors. He currently serves in a number of boards, including as Chairman of both Bokamoso Barona Investment Trust and Kaborona Investment Holdings. He is a director of the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA), Deputy Chairperson of the Gauteng Growth and Development Agency (GGDA) and Chairman of The Innovation Hub (TIH).
Tshilidzi is a social activist. He is an active member of South Africa’s ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC). Previously he served as Secretary General of the Congress of South Africa Students (Cosas) and also Secretary General of the South African Students Congress (Sasco), both of which are ANC aligned Progressive Student Movements.
Dr. Ratshitanga also served the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) in Gauteng Province and was also a Commissioner of the ANC’s 2012 National Congress Elections Commission.
Serote, Wally Mongane.
In his 18 years of exile, Mongane Wally Serote participated on various levels in the ANC structures for the mobilization, planning, negotiation and struggle for the Liberation of South Africa.
He was the head of the regional underground structure in Botswana, Head of the Department of Arts and Culture; member of the Regional Political Military committee in Botswana and in Britain. He was the cultural attaché of the ANC, in Britain and Europe. From 1990, he was head of Arts and Culture of the ANC in South Africa. He spearheaded the organization and mobilization of cultural workers through major festivals, symposiums, conferences in Botswana (1982), Amsterdam (1987) London (1990), Johannesburg (1993) which resulted in the formation of National organizations of writers, musicians, theatre workers, dancers, photographers and filmmakers.
He is a writer of a number of novels, poetry collections,
essays and plays, and has been awarded national and international awards in this regard, including the Inkamanga in Silver, by President Thabo Mbeki, the Pablo Neruda award, by the Chilean President, the Ingrid Jonker award for poetry, the Noma award for writing in Africa, the English medal for contributing in writing in Southern Africa, the Presidential award by the Black Management forum, the BBQ statesman award, the Department of Arts and Culture life time achievement award, the International Golden Wreath for poetry in Strugga Macedonia; he was awarded the Alexandra icon award and the Pan South African Language Board Award for contributing to the development and promotion of African languages in South Africa.
He became a member of parliament and chairperson of the arts, culture, languages, science and technology portfolio committee of parliament..
He participated in the arts, culture, heritage sectors of the national negotiations at Codesa. He has a Master of Fine Arts from Columbia University in New York.
He was CEO of the national heritage site and memorial, Freedom Park, and received a long service award. He has been awarded honorary doctorates, by the Universities of Natal, Transkei, and the University of Johannesburg and an honorary Professorship by UNISA and the University of Johannesburg. He is a member of the Advisory Council of the Thabo Mbeki Foundation; and the magazine, The Thinker. He is the director of Seolo Sa Serote Institute Pty Ltd; and founding Chairperson of the Bookela Botho IKS Integrated and Complimentary Healing Institute based at the Clinix Private Hospital in Johannesburg and Seolo Se Mpande IKS healing. He is also the founding Chairperson of the Indigenous Knowledge Systems Portal based at the University of Johannesburg.
He was initiated as a Ngaka in 1999. He has initiated and spearheaded discussions at a national level for the creation of medicinal plant gardens in the 9 provinces of South Africa, and spearheaded the cleansing, healing, and return of spirits rituals and ceremonies in Southern Africa and the USA.
He has lectured on various platforms, and in
3
Vo l u m e 8 5 / 2 0 2 0
CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS EDITION
different universities abroad and in South Africa on politics, Arts, Culture, IKS and heritage. He is a member of the Living Legacy Legends Project (LLLP) founded by the Minster of Arts and Culture, and the Chairman of its heritage Committee.
He is the Chairperson of the Credo Mutwa Reference Group For The Protection and Promotion Of the Legacy Of Baba Credo Mutwa appointed by the Minister of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Mr Nathi Mthethwa.
He was named, the National Poet Laureate of South Africa in 2019 by the South African Literature Association(SALA).
Thwala, Wellington.
Wellington Thwala is a Professor at the Department of Construction Management and Quantity Surveying, University of Johannesburg, South Africa.
He was Head of the Department of Construction Management and Quantity Surveying, University of Johannesburg, South Africa. Currently, he is the Chair of SARChI in Sustainable Construction Management and Leadership in the Built Environment, University of Johannesburg, South Africa. He offers research support and advice on construction related issues to the Construction Industry in South Africa. Prof. Thwala, has extensive experience as a consultant in project leadership and management of construction projects, and in teaching project management subjects at the postgraduate level. He has practical industry experience with a research focus on sustainable construction, leadership and project management. He is the editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Construction Project Management and Innovation.
Wambui, John.
Born and raised in Kenya, Dr. Wambui spent part of his early childhood in one of the largest slums in Africa called Kibera Slum where he received part of his earlier education. While growing up in Kibera Slum, Dr. Wambui witnessed not only the challenges but also the opportunities that slum livelihood presents for both the residents of the slums and also for broader metropolitan lifestyles.
Equipped with personal experiences from the slum, Dr. Wambui proceeded to pursue his higher education in the United States where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Felician University, a masters in Social Work from Ohio University, and both a master’s in Public Policy and a doctoral in Urban Affairs and Public Policy from the University of Delaware.
Dr. Wambui’s work focuses on analyzing the geographies of urban poverty with an emphasis on the inventiveness of the urban poor. His work examines how similarly disposed marginal urban groups invent themselves through frugal yet radical creativity; where they create identities and lifestyles that enable them to thrive through competing geographies of contemporary metropolitan lifestyles where the realities of the slum and promises of prosperity in the cities intersect. Dr. Wambui believes that the stability of 21st-century cities in the Global South will depend on how well the city development frameworks integrate the collective experiences and innovative ideas emerging from the slums.
Currently, Dr. Wambui works as a Social Worker in the United States while seeking a career in policy development. Dr. Wambui’s career goal is to join local and [or] international policy institutions/think tanks to contribute to the theory and knowledge of urban development, especially in the cities of the Global South.
Ware, Leland.
Professor Leland Ware has been the Louis L.
Redding Professor and Chair for the Study of Law and Public Policy at the University of Delaware since 2000. Before his present appointment, he was a professor at St. Louis University School of Law from 1987 to 2000. He was a visiting professor at Boston College Law School in 1992 and at the Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany, in 1997. Professor Ware was University Counsel at Howard University from 1984 to 1987. For the five years prior to his position at Howard, he was a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division, in Washington, D.C. He had previously practiced with a private firm in Atlanta, Georgia, and with the U.S.
Department of Health, Education and Welfare.
4
T H E T H I N K E RCONTRIBUTORS TO THIS EDITION
The Journal for Progressive Thought www.thethinker.co.za
Publisher English Department
University of Johannesburg Kingsway Campus,
Auckland Park, Johannesburg Tel:+27 11 559 2553
Editor Prof Ronit Frenkel [email protected]
[email protected] Design & Art Direction
On The Loose [email protected]
Tel:+27 83 302 8969 www.ontheloose.co.za
Advisory Council Dr Ademola Araoye (Nigeria), Professor Puleng
Lenka Bula (South Africa), Dr Faisal Devji (Tanzania), Professor Chris Landsberg (South Africa), Professor Tshilidzi Marwala (South Africa), Professor Sabelo
J Ndlovu-Gatsheni (Zimbabwe), Dr Morley Nkosi (South Africa), Dr Francis Onditi (Kenya)
Professor Eghosa E Osaghae (Nigeria), Dr Mzulcisi Qobo (South Africa), Dr Garth le Pere (South Africa), Professor Alioune Sall (Senegal), Addai Sebo (Ghana), Dr Mongane Serote (South Africa), Professor Mammo
Muchie (Ethiopia).
Material in this publication may not be reproduced in any form without proper citation. Views and opinions expressed in
The Thinker are not necessarily those of University of Johannesburg. They can accept no liability of whatsoever
nature arising out of or in connection with the contents of the publication.
© 2020 University of Johannesburg www.thethinker.co.za
Professor Ware’s research focuses on various aspects of Civil Rights law. He has authored more than 100 publications consisting of books, academic journal articles, book chapters, essays, book reviews, editorials and other publications in academic journals and other publications. Professor Ware has organized a number of academic symposia, professional programs and hosted many distinguished lectures.
Professor Ware is a co-author, with Robert Cottrol and Raymond Diamond, of Brown v. Board of Education: Caste, Culture and the Constitution (2003). He is the editor of Choosing Equality: Essays and Narratives on the Desegregation Experience (co-edited with Robert L. Hayman with a Foreword by Vice President Joe Biden) Penn State Press (2009).
His most recent book, A Century of Segregation:
Race, Class, and Disadvantage, (Lexington) was published in November of 2018. He has lectured and made other presentations to numerous audiences in the United States, Europe and Africa. Professor Ware is a graduate of Fisk University and Boston College Law School.
5
Vo l u m e 8 5 / 2 0 2 0
